Monday, February 25, 2008

I seem to be pretty much back in form; I went in and did some light weight lifting and 30 minutes at 3.2 mph at an incline today without much trouble, so I should be back on track of losing weight soon. Thank you for all the encouragement and concern.

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You may remember I mentioned that I had to take my uncle in to the VA hospital; Saturday he went quietly in his sleep while taking an after-dinner nap. I have been helping him for a couple of years now; he had a bad heart and lungs, and had to breathe pure oxygen 24 hours a day, so he couldn't get outside much or drive. I and my wife visited him every day, feeding his dogs, shopping, running errands, etc. Since he was family (my dad's younger brother), I felt a certain responsibility to help, that's what family does. He has some daughters, but they are all out of state. He had lived alone since his retirement from the Navy. He was a veteran of two wars; he did a hitch in the Air Force during Korea, and was over in southeast Asia during the Vietnam War while in the Navy.Goodbye, Uncle George, you will be missed.

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Don't feel much like listening to lyrics today, so I have on my instrumental playlist, which is mainly jazz. I'd be surprised if anyone knew most of the artists, but some of the titles may be familiar.

"Over the Rainbow" by James Galway "As Time Goes By" by Henry Mancini "Bombay Calling" by It's a Beautiful Day "It Just Happens That Way" by Mindi Abair "Prabhati" by Ravi Shankar/Sir Yehudi Menuhin "Farewell" by Patrick O'Hearn "Words Unspoken" by Tim Weisberg "Shenandoah" by Lorie Line "For All We Know" by Dave Brubeck "In a Stone Circle" by Ian Anderson

Thursday, February 21, 2008

This looks like the perfect lamp for a woman who is reading romance novels. Find more about it here.

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Doing pretty well since my time at the hospital. The doctor said I can drive and walk around this weekend, but doesn't want me doing any weight lifting until Wednesday. I'm looking forward to time at the gym; this sitting around with my legs up is boring as hell.

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Any fans of this bunch of people? They came up at the top of today's playlist when I shuffled.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

An interesting day, to be sure.Last night I had to take an uncle to the VA hospital; he has some problems with internal bleeding. Spent time there until 1:30 AM, when I was able to go home to rest, but was thirsty as hell, since I was not allowed any water after midnight.7:00 AM saw me up, still thirsty and wishing for a cup of coffee. Got to go to the hospital, got a tube run up my femoral artery, and portraits of my wayward heart. From what they can tell, it looks like my stent is ok, and they can't see anything to get excited about at this time. I have a couple of pictures which I may post sometime in the near future. Not real exciting, however, since basically they look like gnarled branches in a fog. I think my biggest problem right now is getting rid of some of the excess lard I am packing around; that will do my heart more good than anything.I appreciate all of the good wishes from visitors; when you are concerned about your health, you can use all the moral support available.

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Lots of older stuff on the playlist today, still a bit tired from everything.

"Hang on Sloopy" by The McCoys "Harden My Heart" by Quarterflash "I'm on Fire" by Bruce Springsteen "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" by Waylon Jennings "Our House" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "Goin' Through the Motions" by Blue Öyster Cult "Born Under a Bad Sign" by Cream "Woman, Woman" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap "Nothing Is Easy" by Jethro Tull "Sweet Dreams" by Patsy Cline

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

A bill quietly endorsed by a legislative committee would codify licensed concealed-weapons holders' ability to openly carry loaded guns in almost any publicly owned space in Utah, including university campuses, public schools, sports arenas and hospitals. HB473 is sponsored by Curtis Oda, a Davis County Republican with a history of championing expanded gun rights and criticizing University of Utah policies he believes trampled those rights. In recent years, U. officials have largely abandoned their opposition to concealed weapons on campus, but they have held firm on the "open carry" issue, contending current law requires that firearms allowed by concealed weapons permits must remain concealed if they are brought onto school grounds. They cite the potential disruption caused by public display of weapons. "Universities are a small piece of this. It would permit anyone with a permit to carry that weapon openly anywhere in the state," said John Morris, the U.'s general counsel. "This appears very broad. It would actually have a dramatic impact."

I can already imagine the screams and general hysterics from the gun grabbing crowd already.

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No food or water tonight after midnight (who eats that late anyway?), none tomorrow morning. Hopefully my angiogram won't show anything scary that requires work on the part of the doctors. If all goes well I'll be home tomorrow afternoon. If not, I'll be there overnight.

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Just a lot of odd random stuff in the playlist today.

"Take the "A" Train" by Duke Ellington "Ferry Across the Mersey" by Jerry and the Pacemakers "Misery and the Blues" by Maria Muldaur "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project "Chicago" by Benny Goodman "Heat of the Moment" by Asia "Everybody's Jumpin'" by Dave Brubeck Quartet "Rebel Child" by Gretchen Wilson "Stakalee" by Dr. John "No Fair at All" by The Association

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The HCS-200 Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner offers the best cleaning & lubricating of handguns and revolvers available. Powered with Ultrasonics, the HCS-200 reaches all surfaces of the handgun including those that are hard to access by hand.

Haven't blogged for a few days, but I am still here.First, I would like to thank everyone who dropped by and wished me well; I am completely recovered from my fall, other than some annoying scabs. Your words and good wishes were very much appreciated.Next week I have to do some really obnoxious tests; I went to the heart doctor yesterday, and he is a bit concerned and wants to run a cardiogram. The past few months I had gotten a bit of a feeling of pressure on my chest if I over-exerted myself. The doctor says this is mild angina (if it was painful we would be really worried). For those who have never had one of these (most of you are too young and fit for this), it starts with getting a bunch of electrodes taped onto your body. Plus they inject you with a strange brew that artificially stresses your heart. Just sitting still when it hits feels like you are running an uphill marathon. While this is happening, you get to walk on a treadmill, which is very tiring while the stuff is jacking your heart around. They take a bunch of readings with an MRI machine, and then they look at movies of your heart beating. At the end of this, you feel like someone has kicked your ass for half the day. Hopefully they won't find anything serious. I'm going to see if I can get a copy of the picture of my ticker, just for the hell of it, but that depends on the technician administering the tests.

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Outside is a blizzard right now; fine snow coming down fast and sideways. Hopefully it won't be too bad when my wife gets off work to drive home.

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Top ten on today's playlist:

"Symphony No. 5: 3. Allergo" by Ludwig van Beethoven "Rhythm of the Rain" by The Cascades "Mama Told Me Not to Come" by Three Dog Night "Pancho and Lefty" by Willie Nelson "Groovin' High" by Dizzy GIllespie "Walk on By" by Leroy Van Dyke "Runaround Sue" by Dion "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band "This Ain't the Summer of Love" by Blue Öyster Cult "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel

As usual, there isn't much rhyme or reason to the list today, just a couple of dozen of things I felt in the mood for.

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Got my procedure schedule for next week; I will not be doing a cardiogram, but an angiogram instead. This is where they open up the femoral artery in your leg and run a tube up it to your heart to check it out. I have had this done before when they put in my stent, so I know what it is about. It's possible I may need another stent, or there may be nothing at all wrong. I'm not looking forward to it but there is no use fretting about it until it happens.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

1. Britney is still batshit crazy.2. Heath Ledger is still dead from an OD.3. All the presidential candidates are lying hypocrites and backstabbers who will say anything to get elected.4. American Idol is still irrelevant to...just about everything.

Can we move on now in the news?

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Thought for a bit I was going to take a chauffeured ride to the hospital this morning; went outside to get in my vehicle and slipped on some ice that was under the snow (it is snowing today); went down hard with all my weight right on one kneecap onto the cement. After a couple of minutes my head cleared and I was able to barely get up and go back into the house to sit for a bit. My knee is a little better, mainly just skinned and bruised, but I also managed to pull a muscle right below my belt buckle, (please don't ask how far below) and one in my lower back that is currently causing be to berate it in very colorful language. I had to leave to get things done, and since getting home I have been drinking coffee and favoring my knee for now. Things should get better, I hope, since I still have to clear the snow from the driveway and sidewalk. For the past 10 or 12 days we have been getting snow every other day, so this stuff is getting real old.

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More blues, rock, jazz, and country; this is the top ten on the shuffle:

"Stack O' Lee Blues" by Mississippi John Hurt "Saginaw, Michigan" by Lefty Frizzell "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas "One O'Clock Jump" by Count Basie "Let's Live for Today" by The Grass Roots "Who Can It Be Now?" by Men at Work "Baby, Won't You Come Out Tonight" by Buddy Holly "You Only Live Twice" by Nancy Sinatra "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood "Foxey Lady" by Jimi Hendrix

Though quite expensive, these are actually sort of cool; you can imagine them in a room with lots of steampunk stuff.

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Another half foot of snow during the night; I'll be glad when spring comes around in a few months.

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More moldy-oldies in the playlist.

"Understand Your Man" by Johnny Cash"Rock Me" by Steppenwolf"Hangman's Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson"Little Deuce Coupe" by The Beach Boys"He'll Have to Go" by Jim Reeves"Too Much Talk" by Paul Revere and the Raiders"Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison"Respect" by Aretha Franklin"Eight Miles High" by The Byrds"To Sir with Love" by Lulu